Spencer's Choice
by stormy.grace
Summary: The new second story in my Choices series! Spencer has dealt with having close friends murdered, being tormented by A, family problems, and a mental breakdown. How much more can she take. What happens when someone she thought she could trust violates more than her trust?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay guys, I know you were all into what was going on with Emily and Riley, but…I wasn't. It simply wasn't working out for me, so I decided to set Em aside for now and focus on Spencer. Enjoy! I'm also taking down Enchanted for now. It's giving me problems too. Keep an eye for it though. It may come back.**

"Wren?" Melissa asked when she answered her phone. "Why are you calling me at three in the morning?"

"You need to come to the hospital right now." Wren said without preamble. "It's Spencer."

Melissa sat up in bed, all traces of sleep fading away. She was instantly alert. "Spencer? What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Wren said. "My shift just ended and I was on my way out. They brought someone in on a stretcher and when they passed me I saw it was Spencer. I asked if your parents had been notified and they said that they couldn't reach them."

"They're out of town." Melissa said. "I thought Spencer was asleep."

"Apparently you were wrong."

"Okay." She bristled slightly at the accusatory tone of his voice. "I'm on my way. Can you stay there? I'd feel much better if there was someone there she knew."

"Of course." Wren promised. He had no intentions of leaving. He was exhausted and hungry, but sleep and food could wait. Spencer was much more important.

Melissa stumbled around the barn in the dark, hastily getting dressed and fumbling to find her car keys and purse. Whatever problems she and her sister had didn't matter at the moment. Deep down they did love each other, or at least Melissa loved Spencer. She wasn't entirely sure that love was reciprocated, and if it wasn't it was her own fault. But right now Spencer was hurt and needed her.

She rushed out to her car and turned the key in the ignition. It sputtered and died. She tried again. No luck.

"Damn it!" she screamed, banging her fists on the steering wheel. This could _not_ be happening right now.

Her parents' cars were both gone and so was Spencer's. She tried the key again and cursed her car once more when it didn't even try to start.

She got out of the car and kicked the tire as hard as she could, not even feeling the pain in her foot. "Damn it! You can't do this to me! My sister needs me!"

"Melissa?"

She spun around and was so surprised to see Jason DiLaurentis that she jumped back and almost fell over. She hadn't realized he was back in town. Was he living with his mother?

"Is everything okay?"

"No!" she yelled, kicking the tire again. "Spencer's in the hospital and this stupid car won't start!"

"Spencer's in the hospital?" Jason repeated, his voice full of concern. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Melissa was so upset about Spencer and about her car that she didn't even realize she was crying. "Wren just called me and said they brought her in on a stretcher. My parents are out of town. Wren's there, but…"

Jason didn't hesitate before he stepped forward and gently took her arm. "Come on. I'll drive."

"You?"

"She's my sister too." Jason said quietly as he led Melissa across the street and helped her into his car.

By the time they got to Rosewood Memorial Melissa had managed to calm down some and was worried about how her hair looked and the fact that she wasn't wearing any makeup. Jason told her that she looked fine and that Spencer wouldn't care.

"It's a hospital, Melissa." He said. "You're not supposed to look good in a hospital in the middle of the night."

Wren met them at the door and Melissa practically fell into his arms. "Is she okay? What happened? Do you know anything?"

"Calm down, Melissa." Wren said, gently pulling her out of the walkway so people could get by. "I talked to her doctor and it's not nearly as bad as I originally thought. She's banged up a little, but nothing's broken."

"What happened?" Jason asked.

Wren had no idea who he was, and assumed he was Melissa's current beau. "Well, there's no easy way to say this…"

"What happened?" Melissa demanded.

"They think she was raped."

"_Raped_?" Melissa shrieked and lost her balance from the shock of the word. If she had fallen forward her ex-fiancé who had left her for her sister would have caught her. But she fell backward, leaving Jason, her father's illegitimate son, with no choice but to catch her or let her slam her head into the wall.

Jason caught her and eased her down onto a bench. He sat beside her with his arm around her for support and looked up at Wren. "What do you mean they _think_ she was raped?"

"It looks like it, but she won't confirm or deny." Wren explained. "She's perfectly coherent, but the only thing she'll say is that she wants to talk to her friends."

"Does she know you called Melissa?" Jason asked.

Wren nodded. "Yes. I told her that Melissa was on her way and that we were trying to get a hold of her parents, but she keeps insisting that I call her friends."

"I'll call them." Jason said.

"Who are you?" Wren asked, purely out of curiosity.

"I'm their brother." Jason said and dug Melissa's cell phone out of her purse. He hadn't thought to run inside and grab his before they had left. His only concern was to make sure Spencer was okay.

He dialed Aria's number first. She sounded sleepy when she answered, and confused that Melissa was calling her.

"It's Jason." He said. "I'm at the hospital with Melissa. Spencer's here."

"Oh my god." Aria exclaimed. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"They think she might have been raped." Jason said. "She won't say anything though. Just that she wants to see you girls."

"Okay. I'll call them." Aria said. "I'm on my way."

Jason hung up and followed Melissa and Wren to the little curtained off area in the emergency room. Spencer was sitting on the bed, wearing a hospital gown and staring at the curtain. She had a black eye and a nurse was tending to a cut on her lip. Her hair was a mess and there was absolutely no expression on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

_We both know who did it, but don't you dare say a word. If you do I'll only make it worse. Kisses, A_

"I don't get it." Hanna said after reading the text twice.

The others stared at her. They were alone in Spencer's curtained off area while Jason, Melissa, and Wren stood outside talking to the doctor and trying to get a hold of Spencer's parents. Spencer had shown her friends the text A had sent her before the doctors had come in asking questions. After reading the text she had decided not to say anything to anyone until she spoke to her friends.

"What don't you get, Han?" Spencer demanded quietly. "A's threatening to make…this worse if I say anything. That's what A does. Or have you forgotten the last couple of years."

"No. I get that, but _why_ doesn't A want you to say anything?" Hanna clarified. "I mean, did Red Coat do this?"

"No." Spencer said. "It definitely wasn't Red Coat."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked.

"Red Coat is a girl, Em." Spencer said. "Possibly Ali. I do know who did this. It wasn't Ali and it wasn't a girl."

"How could A possibly make this any worse?" Aria asked, perching on the edge of Spencer's narrow emergency room bed. "You were…"

Aria couldn't bring herself to say the word. Neither could anyone else, but they all knew what she meant.

"It's not enough for A to try to kill us, now she has to violate us too?" Hanna commented. She realized what she has said and looked at Spencer. "I'm so sorry, Spence. I didn't mean to say that."

Spencer looked tired. She wanted to try to offer Hanna a reassuring smile, but didn't have the energy. "It's okay. I was thinking the same thing. But I don't think this had anything to do with A."

"So what are you going to do?" Mona asked, speaking up for the first time since they had arrived.

When Spencer had said she wanted to see her friend she hadn't meant Mona too. Mona wasn't her friend. Mona was Mona. Aria trusted her because of how she had handled her pregnancy and subsequent abortion a couple of weeks ago, but Spencer wasn't so sure. Part of her wanted to trust Mona, but she just couldn't. Not yet anyway.

Mona took Spencer's silence to mean that she wasn't going to say anything to anyone, and was quick to argue. "Spencer, you can't keep quiet about this. You're in the emergency room. They know you were raped."

"They haven't done a rape kit yet." Spencer said. "I wouldn't let them. They don't know anything other than the fact that I called an ambulance and I have a few bruises."

"Your clothes were torn." Mona reminded her. "Your underwear is _gone._ They know something happened."

"Let them do the kit, Spence." Aria begged quietly, laying her hand on Spencer's arm. "Please? Just to make sure everything's okay. You don't have to tell them anything. Just let them do the kit."

Spencer started to say no, afraid that even that might tick A off, but one look at Aria's face stopped the words on her tongue. How could she argue with those big, pleading, hazel eyes that were on the verge of tears? "Alright. I'll let them do the rape kit."

Aria looked so relieved that Spencer actually felt a little relief herself. She didn't have to say anything. A had to know that a rape kit was standard procedure. If there was DNA they could use to figure out who did it she wouldn't have to say anything. Hopefully A wouldn't come after her for it.

When the girls left, Spencer asked Aria to stay. She didn't really want to admit it, but she was scared. She didn't want to be by herself and she didn't think Melissa was up to holding her hand through a rape kit.

At first the nurse asked Aria to leave, but Spencer pleaded with her to let her stay. The nurse continued to say no until Wren told her it would be okay. He wasn't on call, but he was still a doctor and assured the nurse that Aria wouldn't get in the way. She would simply be there for moral support. The nurse finally agreed and Wren left after giving Spencer's hand a gentle squeeze.

He went out to the waiting room and joined Melissa and Jason. Melissa still looked completely freaked out so he sat down beside her and offered her a smile. "She's going to be okay, Melissa. Spencer's strong."

"How could someone do that to her?" Melissa asked quietly, tears running down her face. "I don't understand. How?"

"I don't know." Wren said. "It's terrible, but Spencer will be alright. I'm sure of it."

Jason noticed that although he said he was sure his face showed concern. Was he thinking about Spencer's brief stint in Radley not so long ago?

Melissa looked up suddenly as if some great idea had dawned on her. "Toby. Someone should call Toby."

"I'll take care of it Melissa." Jason said when she reached for her phone. "You stay here and try to calm down."

She'll be fine, Jason told himself as he walked out of the waiting room to call Toby and try Spencer's parents again. Wren was right. Spencer was strong. She would be okay. Wouldn't she?


	3. Chapter 3

"Spencer!" Mona called as she practically chased Spencer down the hallway. "Spencer, wait!"

Spencer sighed and waited for Mona to catch up. "I'm going to be late for class, Mona."

"So? You've skipped class, and school all together, more than once." Mona reminded her. "What difference will a few minutes make?"

"I can't afford to miss anymore." Spencer argued. "I've missed enough already because of you…"

Mona appreciated the slightly embarrassed look on Spencer's face. At least she wasn't _trying_ to hate her. "It's okay, Spencer. I know you aren't that crazy about me, and that's okay."

Spencer stopped and looked down at Mona, trying to decide if the sincere look on her face really was sincere. "I'm sorry, Mona. I know Aria trusts you and I really don't have much choice at the moment, but…"

"I get it." Mona insisted. "You don't trust me yet. If the tables were turned, I would feel the same way."

Spencer felt the corner of her mouth turn up in a half smile. She sighed and pushed her hair away from her face. "Okay. What did you want?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're doing alright." Mona said, reaching out on impulse and touching Spencer's arm. She smiled sweetly. "I know A's making an already difficult situation worse for you, and I wanted to make sure you're holding up."

"I'm fine." Spencer said. "I haven't heard anything else from A since that text the other night."

"And you're still not going to tell anyone what happened?"

"I told them what happened." Spencer corrected. "I just told them that I had no idea who did it."

"There wasn't any DNA when they did the rape kit." Mona reminded her point blank, lowering her voice so that their fellow classmates couldn't hear her. "How are they supposed to figure out who did it if you don't tell them?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather it go unsolved and just forget about it than even try to imagine how A could possibly make it worse."

Mona flashed a sympathetic smile. "Okay. Well, even though you don't trust me, I'm here if you need me. For anything. I _am_ on your side, Spencer."

"Thanks Mona." Spencer wasn't sure either of them actually meant what they said, but she wanted to believe that Mona really was on her side. She felt like she could use as many allies as she could possibly find. Especially if A got mad at her.

She watched Mona walk away, wondering if she had some ulterior motive. The bell rang and she turned to run to her next class, crashing into Ezra as she did so. Her books and his coffee flew to the floor and she lost her balance, flailing her arms in a vain attempt to regain her balance.

"Whoa!" Ezra said as he reached out and caught her. "Spencer, are you okay?"

She waited until she was certain she wouldn't topple over and nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

Ezra crouched down to retrieve his now empty coffee mug and help her gather her coffee splattered things. "Yeah. Sorry about the coffee."

"It was my fault." She said quickly. "I wasn't looking where I was going." She paused and looked up at him, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I don't suppose you have a towel handy, do you?"

"Sorry." Ezra said. "I can write you a pass though, if you want to stop by the bathroom before class. I doubt sticky books will help you learn."

"Probably not." She agreed, smiling gratefully.

Ezra noticed that even though she was smiling, she looked frazzled. He had seen her talking to Mona and wondered if that had anything to do with it. "Is everything okay, Spencer? I know you were having some problems with your college applications. How is that going?"

"Um, fine I guess." She said as they stood up. "Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked, unconvinced. "You can tell me if it's not. I might not be able to help, but I do know that A isn't gone."

She had forgotten that A had sent him texts recently alluding to Aria's pregnancy. "I can handle A. How are you doing with…everything?"

Aria had decided not to tell Ezra that she was pregnant because they were broken up and she didn't want him to jeopardize his career or his life. She has opted to have a medication abortion, with Wren's help and support from her friends. Even with A threatening to expose her newest secret everything had gone smoothly until she had aborted in the middle of Ezra's class. Spencer had seen the look on his face when Aria had started throwing up and basically collapsed on her way to the bathroom. He had been terrified. So had Spencer and she knew what was going on. After she had been released from the hospital and talked to her family Aria had explained everything to Ezra. She had told Spencer that he had been freaked out and mad at her at first, but had accepted her actions in the end.

"I've been better." He said truthfully. "But I guess I'm okay. How's Aria?"

"You haven't talked to her?"

"Not really. Our whole relationship is touchy now."

Spencer understood that. "Well, she seems to be doing alright. She's been seeing our old therapist again. It seems to be helping."

"I wish she would talk to me about it." Ezra admitted as he signed a pass for Spencer.

Spencer took the slip of paper, fighting the urge to reach out and touch his arm even if the halls were empty. "She will, Ezra. When she's ready."

He smiled. "Thanks."

She smiled back and turned to go try to clean her books up a little before heading to class. She was a little miffed that she would be late, but she would rather be late than have sticky books.


	4. Chapter 4

"You really should talk to Ezra about it." Spencer said as she pushed open the front door of the school and waited for Aria to exit the building ahead of her.

"Spencer." Aria said, shooting her a look that said she was out of her mind. "Are you serious?"

Spencer let the door slam behind her. "Yes. He seemed really hurt when I talked to him earlier. It was his baby too."

"That's not what I mean." Aria said. "How are you able to focus on my life right now after what happened to you?"

"I think I have to." Spencer admitted.

Toby's truck was parked in front of the school and Spencer pasted a smile on her face as he climbed the steps. She was both happy and annoyed to see him. Jason had called him and told him what had happened and she had been avoiding him ever since. She appreciated his concern, but she didn't want to talk about it.

Toby greeted Spencer with a kiss and smiled at Aria. "Hey. Need a ride?"

"No. Thanks." Aria declined, returning the smile as Jake pulled up beside Toby's truck. "I have one."

Ezra came out of the building just then and they all paused awkwardly. Jake was the only one in Aria's life that didn't know the truth about what had happened.

Spencer watched as Ezra and Aria exchanged strained smiles and both went their separate ways. She thought it was a little rude of Aria to kiss Jake in front of Ezra since it was more than a quick greeting kiss, but didn't say anything.

"How are they doing?" Toby asked.

"I think Aria's doing better than Ezra." She replied.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"Spencer." Toby grabbed her arm when she started to walk away. "Come on. Talk to me. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine Toby." She insisted. "Really. Everything's okay."

Toby pulled her closer and lowered his voice. "How can everything be okay? You were…"

Her heart broke when she couldn't even say the word. She knew it was killing him to know what had happened and have her refuse to talk about it, but she couldn't. She wasn't ready to, emotionally or mentally, and she was afraid of what A might do if she tried.

"I know." She whispered. "I really wish everyone would stop telling me. I haven't forgotten. I just don't want to talk about it."

"A says you know who it was." Toby blurted out.

"What?"

"A sent me a text earlier." He brought it up on his phone and showed it to her.

Spencer read the message and felt sick.

_Poor Spencer. She knows who it was, but she's too traumatized to say anything. I guess it just goes to show you should be careful who you trust. Kisses, A_

"I can't believe this!"

"Why not?" Toby asked. "It's A."

"I'm not too traumatized to say anything." She clarified. "There's nothing I would like more than to tell the police exactly who did it and see him locked up forever."

"Then why don't you?" Toby demanded. He didn't understand why she was staying quiet if she wanted to see the guy punished so badly and knew who it was. "How hard is it to give the cops a name?"

"I can't! If I do…A threatened to make it worse." She explained. "I don't know how it could get any worse, but I really don't want to find out."

She turned to go once more but he grabbed her arm again.

"Spencer, you have to say something. You can't just let him get away with it."

"_Worse_, Toby. Not better. If I say who it was A will make it worse."

"It can't get any worse!" Toby yelled. "He _hurt_ you, Spencer. The police can't arrest him if you don't give them a name. I don't care what A says she's going to do. You have to say something."

"Fine!" Spencer yelled back. "I'll say something. I'll say something to you. I'm not about to let A take control of my life again!"

"That's exactly what you're doing if you don't tell the police who raped you, Spencer!"

"Toby!"

They both turned to find Mona standing there, staring at Toby in shock.

She took a couple of steps, and even though she was much shorter than him, got in his face. "Are you out of your mind? There are people around. Be angry all you want, but there's no reason to stand here yelling that she was raped for everyone to hear. It's none of their business."

Spencer was stunned that he had yelled it too. She stared at him, on the verge of tears, and was suddenly happy to see Mona.

Toby realized what he had done and instantly felt terrible. He stepped forward, reaching out to Spencer to apologize, but she turned away and ran down the stairs.

"Spencer!" he called after her and started to follow her, but Mona stopped him.

"Go home, Toby." She said calmly. "Both of you need to calm down. I'll take care of Spencer."

He didn't want to go home. He wanted to catch up with Spencer and tell her he was sorry and make sure she was okay. But Mona was right. They were both so stubborn and they both needed to calm down. With a heavy sigh he walked back to his truck and let Mona go after Spencer, hoping that Spencer wouldn't bite her head off once she caught up with her.

"What was that about?" Noel Kahn asked.

"Nothing." Toby replied and climbed into his truck.

**Feel free to let me know who you think did it. I'm curious to hear your theories if you have them. **


	5. Chapter 5

Spencer slammed the door behind her only to hear it open once more when she was halfway up the stairs. She stopped and turned around, glaring at Mona. "Leave me alone Mona!"

Mona was slightly out of breath because she had literally chased Spencer all the way home from school. After that scene on the school steps Spencer had left her car in the parking lot and power walked all the way home. Mona had followed determinedly, feeling a little like she used to when she would chase after Ali and her friends, trying to get them to simply say hello to her. Of course it wasn't exactly the same feeling, but it was similar.

Mona didn't bother to close the door behind her and stood with her hands on her hips in the middle of the living room. "I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Mona!" Spencer yelled, coming down a couple of steps and throwing her hands out in frustration. "We've already talked about it. I've told you everything!"

"Not everything."

"No."

"Spencer." Mona's voice was almost pleading. She was worried about Spencer. "I just want to help. Please let me."

"There's nothing you can do to help!" Spencer's voice wasn't as strong as it had been because she had started crying again. She suddenly felt every ounce of strength drain out of her body and sank down on the steps, burying her face in her hands.

Mona reacted instantly, quickly crossing the room and sitting beside Spencer on the steps. She put her arms around her, pulling her close, and thinking that she had been in a similar scenario with Aria not so long ago. Was this what it would take? Did she have to earn the girls' trust by offering a shoulder to cry on as they one by one fell apart?

"It's not fair." Spencer whispered between sobs. "It's not fair."

"What's not fair?" Mona asked soothingly.

Spencer sniffed and sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. She used her sleeve to dry her face some and took a moment to answer. She didn't particularly want to talk to Mona, but Mona was the only one here at the moment. "All of it. I'm a senior in high school. I should be worrying about hanging out with my friends and my boyfriend and getting into a good college. Instead I'm running all over town trying to figure out who killed my best friend and two cops, if Ali's even dead, and who gets their kicks out of torturing a bunch of kids via text. This is so not what I had in mind for my senior year."

Mona rubbed her back gently. "Spencer, I know I was part of all of that. I'm not asking you to forget, or even forgive me, but I wish you could at least accept my apology. I was sick."

"I know." Spencer looked at her. "I'm sorry too. For everything we put you through. That wasn't fair either."

"That was Ali."

"But we went along with it. We didn't even try to stop her."

Mona's lips curved in a half smile. "I don't think anyone could have. I don't know if I can forgive Alison, but I can forgive you. And I am sorry about everything I did to you."

Spencer smiled and sniffed again.

"So…are we…okay?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "I guess we are."

Mona let out an audible sigh, not even trying to hide her relief. "Baby steps."

"Baby steps." Spencer repeated.

"Are we okay enough for you to tell me who did it?" Mona asked. "Maybe I can help."

Spencer opened her mouth to speak, having decided that telling Mona might actually make her feel a little better, when they heard someone come in through the open back door.

"Spencer?"

It was Wren. His voice sounded concerned.

"We're over here." Spencer called, her voice cracking from crying.

"Are you okay?" Wren asked.

"We're fine." Mona replied. She got up and smiled down at Spencer. "Call me if you want to talk, okay?"

Spencer suddenly wanted to tell someone who had hurt her, but she didn't want to tell Wren. She thought about waiting until he was gone and calling Mona, but she felt like she had to say it now. But she couldn't just blurt out the name.

Mona didn't wait for an answer. She turned, flashing Wren a smile, and headed for the door.

"Mona." Spencer said, standing up.

Mona turned back and waited.

"Even dogs die in eternity." Spencer said.

"What?" Wren asked, looking very confused at her seemingly random and nonsensical statement.

"Leave all memories behind?" Mona replied.

Spencer simply nodded, feeling a little better even if Mona may not have been the smartest choice.

Wren looked from one to the other, still baffled. "Are you sure you two are alright?"

"It's a game." Mona said and left.

"A game?" Wren asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of an inside joke." Spencer said.

Wren raised and eyebrow. "You and Mona have inside jokes?"

"Well, we're both crazy, right?"

"Neither of you is crazy." Wren said.

"Do you need something?" Spencer asked.

"No." Wren said. "I just came by to check on you."

"I'm fine."

He didn't look convinced, but he decided not to push her. "Have you spoken to your parents yet?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I refused to let them come home early."

"Why?"

"Because I don't need them here treating me like a piece of glass." She said. "I've got Melissa and Jason and my friends and you. I don't need my parents falling to pieces too."

"You're a brave girl, Spencer Hastings." Wren said, thinking that maybe she was being a bit too proud under the circumstances.


	6. Chapter 6

Spencer woke in the middle of the night when her phone rang. It was a message from A. She was afraid of what it might say, but opened it anyway. Had A found out that she had told Mona?

_I warned you Spence. Keep quiet or I'll make it worse. You might want to check on your sister. Kisses, A_

"Melissa!" Spencer shot out of bed and ran out to the barn. She and Melissa might fight like cats and dogs, but they were still sisters.

Her fears weren't eased when she burst into the barn. She had been hoping that A was just playing a trick and that she would find Melissa sleeping safely in her bed. Instead she found the lights on, signs of a struggle, and no sign of Melissa. There was a note taped to the bathroom mirror.

_This is what happens when you don't listen._

Spencer didn't know what to do. Her parents had obeyed her commands to finish their trips, listening to her promises that she was okay with Melissa. She was home alone and A had kidnapped her sister, leaving absolutely no hint as the whether Melissa was okay or not.

She ran back to the house and grabbed her phone, quickly sending a message to her friends, including Mona.

_Come quick. A took Melissa._

When they got there she explained everything to them. She told them exactly who had raped her, she told them that she had already told Mona, and she told them that A had kidnapped Melissa because she had told Mona. By the time she finished she was almost hysterical and was clinging to Aria, trying not to fall completely apart.

They were trying to figure out what to do when someone knocked on the door. It was Jason. Spencer wasn't able to move at the moment so Emily let him in. He didn't give her a chance to greet him or make any excuses.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded, shoving his phone in Emily's face.

"What is it?" Aria asked.

Emily looked pale. "It's from A."

Spencer finally stopped trying to hold back the tears and let out a sob. "Is…is Melissa dead?"

"Looks like your sister needs some help. Kisses, A." Emily read. "There's and attachment. Jason, did you open it?"

"No." he said. "I didn't see it. I was worried about Spencer."

Mona didn't miss the glare he shot her way.

Emily opened the picture and gasped.

"What is it?" Spencer demanded.

"It's a picture of Melissa." Emily said. "She's tied up, gagged, and blindfolded."

"Does it say anything about where she is?" Mona asked, ignoring Jason.

Emily shook her head. "No, but it kind of looks like she's sitting on a pew."

"The church." Hanna said.

They all rushed outside and piled into two cars. Once they go to the church Jason insisted that the girls wait outside. They refused and followed him inside. It was dark and quiet. Nothing seemed out of place, and there were no signs that anyone was there. They split up and searched the entire building, finding nothing. Melissa wasn't there.

"This is my fault." Spencer cried as her friends studied the picture on Jason's phone, trying to find anything that might give them a clue to where Melissa might be.

"How is this your fault?" Jason asked.

Spencer sniffed. "I told Mona something A warned me not to tell. A kept her promise to make it worse by taking Melissa."

"Does this have anything to do with what happened the other night?"

Spencer nodded. "Yes. A warned me that if I said anything she would make it worse."

"So you know who did it?"

"Yes." Spencer confirmed. "But that doesn't matter right now. We have to find Melissa before A hurts her."

Jason wanted to take her to the police station and make her tell them who had hurt her, but he didn't think that was going to happen. Spencer was too stubborn and too scared. So instead, he did what any good brother would do to console his sister. He hugged her and promised that they would find Melissa.


	7. Chapter 7

Spencer couldn't shake the feeling that her sister was dead. She had made A mad and A had taken her sister away for good. They hadn't found Melissa yet, but somehow Spencer knew she was gone.

She woke with a start and sat up in bed, gasping for breath. It had been a dream. Melissa was okay. She was out in the barn or in the kitchen having breakfast with their parents. Everything was okay. Melissa was okay.

There was a knock on her bedroom door and her mother came in. "Spence? Are you up?"

"Yeah." Spencer replied, wondering why her mother was checking to see if she was awake. It was Saturday. Then she looked at her mother's grieving face and remembered.

Melissa wasn't downstairs having breakfast. She was dead. A had killed her, and today was her funeral. Her sister was gone.

"Are you okay?" Veronica asked.

Spencer stared at her for a moment, her face blank. "No. Are you?"

"No." Veronica repeated. She came and sat on the edge of Spencer's bed and reached out to brush her hair away from her face. "But we're going to get through this, okay? All of it."

"I don't think I can, Mom." Spencer admitted quietly as a tear rolled down her face. "I really don't think I can."

Veronica wasn't sure what to say so she simply put her arms around her daughter and held her close. They both clung to each other and cried for a little while and then Veronica left so that Spencer could get ready.

The only problem was that Spencer didn't have the energy to get ready. The thought of putting on her dress and shoes, fixing her hair, and applying makeup was just too much. Wouldn't everyone understand if she showed up in her pajamas?

There was another knock on her door, but this time it was Aria, Hanna, and Emily. Spencer was so relieved to see them that she actually smiled for the first time in a week.

"You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you." She said as she burst into tears again.

The girls climbed into the bed with her and Spencer felt almost normal as her friends hugged her and cried with her.

Aria smoothed Spencer's hair away from her face. "We figured you wouldn't feel like getting dressed this morning."

"You don't have to do anything." Hanna said. "We'll make sure you look presentable."

"You do have to put on your own dress though." Aria added.

Spencer managed a half smile. "Thank you guys."

"I'm going to go down and get you some breakfast." Emily said, squeezing Spencer's hand. "You need to eat something."

Spencer nodded. "And coffee. Don't forget the coffee."

Emily smiled. "Of course."

Emily left and Spencer fought the urge to crawl back under her blankets and go back to sleep. She looked around suddenly as if she wasn't sure where she was. "Where's Mona?"

"She's meeting us at the church." Hanna said. "We invited her to come with us, but she thought this was something we could handle better."

"I can call her if you want her here too." Aria offered.

Spencer shook her head. "No. It's okay. We're not exactly best friends. I just wondered where she was. She's usually with us lately."

Over the next couple of hours the girls managed to get themselves and Spencer fed and ready to go. Spencer and Aria rode with Spencer's parents and Hanna and Emily followed in Aria's car. People were already showing up when they arrived at the church. Mona, Toby, Paige, Caleb, and Jake were standing in a small group near the door, waiting for the girls. The four of them made their way over to their friends and no one said anything when Mona was the first person Spencer hugged.

Mona looked a little surprised, but she happily returned the hug and watched as Spencer moved down the line hugging the others and thanking them for coming. She was being so formal with her friends.

"Is she alright?" Mona asked Aria quietly.

Aria shook her head. "No."

"That was a stupid question." Mona said. "She's just acting so…"

"Spencer." Hanna finished. "She just lost her sister, Mona."

"Hanna." Emily reprimanded. "Now's not the time."

Hanna looked down at her feet for a moment and then turned to Mona. "She's right. I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I know." Mona said. "It's okay. We're all upset."

"Where's Jason?" Aria asked.

Mona shrugged. "He's not here yet. I'm a little worried actually. I ran into him at the Brew earlier and he said he was on his way over."

The others looked worried too.

"You don't think A did something, do you?" Emily asked.

Aria pulled out her phone. "I'm calling him to make sure."

She got his voicemail and left a quick message as Ezra approached. He didn't even look at Aria. He walked over to Spencer and made the usual comments. For some reason it had a major effect on her and she started crying again as she impulsively hugged him. Ezra looked stunned and Aria quickly pulled Spencer away.

"She's not exactly herself right now." She said.

"It's okay." He said. "Spencer, if you need anything…"

Spencer nodded. "Thanks. I'm sorry."

Aria passed her off to Toby and she clung to him.

"Actually," Aria said, pulling Ezra aside. "Can you do us a huge favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Jason's not here yet." Emily said. "He told Mona he was on his way. We can't get a hold of him."

"Mrs. D isn't here either." Hanna said, emerging from inside the church.

"Can you swing by their house and see if they're there?" Aria asked.

Ezra nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks." Mona said as he turned and walked away.

"Where's Jason?" Spencer asked suddenly.

The girls had been hoping that Spencer wouldn't notice that her brother was missing. The last thing she needed right now was to think that A had done something to her remaining sibling.

Aria attempted to ease her fears. "He's not here yet, but I'm sure everything's okay. Ezra's going to check and see if they've left yet."

"They're probably just running late." Toby said.

"Mrs. D isn't here either?" Spencer asked.

"If she is I couldn't find her." Hanna said.

Spencer's expression turned from grief stricken to angry and determined. "I swear if A messes with anyone I care about one more time I'm going to hunt that bitch down and kill her myself."

**For those of you that are still asking who raped Spencer, the answer is in Ch. 5.**


	8. Chapter 8

Just as Spencer was starting to get really worried that A had intervened Toby touched her arm and drew her attention to a spot across the street.

"Look." He said. "There they are. They're okay."

Spencer looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Jason and his mother crossing the street to the church. They were just a little late. She was more than relieved to not only see them, but to see that they appeared to be unscathed. She glanced at her friends and saw that they were just as relieved as she was. After what had happened to Melissa they had all been afraid that A might strike again.

Spencer tried not to think about that night, but the memory pushed its way through the mental wall she had put up. After searching the entire church, inside and out, they had finally decided to head back to the house. They hadn't found anything that could possibly be a clue and Spencer was too upset to keep looking without any idea of where to look.

Once they were back at her house Spencer had basically curled up in Aria's lap and tried to cry, but couldn't. Instead she had listened to the sounds of Mona and Emily in the kitchen fixing them all something to eat in an attempt to distract them from what was going on. She had watched Hanna stare at the wall and chew her thumbnail and had finally allowed Jason to call the police and report the kidnapping. There really wasn't anything they could do unless A felt like giving them another hint.

Detective Holbrook had come out and, between the six of them, had managed to tell him what had happened without letting on that A was involved or even still existed. When he was certain he wouldn't get anything else out of them he left to begin the search for Melissa Hastings. Spencer had begged him not to call her parents. They certainly didn't need to have one more thing to worry about right now.

The text had come in as soon as Jason had shut the door after seeing Holbrook out. _She's running out of time and you're looking in the wrong places again. Kisses, A._

The girls had all remembered the text Mona had sent at her birthday party about looking for her in all the wrong places. Spencer had eventually figured out that she wanted them to go to Wright's playground and she and Emily had found the tree with Ali and Ian's initials carved into the trunk.

"But what if it's a trick again?" Hanna had asked. "Like the church."

"We won't know until we check it out." Spencer said, a look of desperation on her face. "I have to find my sister, Han. Before A hurts her."

Emily and Hanna had volunteered to stay behind in case Melissa somehow made her way home and Spencer tried to convince Jason to stay with them. He didn't know how to handle A. She insisted that she would be fine with Aria and Mona, but he wouldn't listen. So the four of them had gone to the playground where they had found Melissa.

Her neck had been broken and her lifeless body was lying in the middle of the playground. No effort had been made to hide her. She was face down with a gash on her forehead, and her arms and legs were splayed out like she had tripped and fallen.

Spencer clearly remembered Aria and Mona trying to hold her back, begging her to let Jason be the one to check and see if Melissa was still alive. But she had broken free from their grasp and raced to her sister's side, knowing instinctively that Melissa was gone.

"Spencer!" Jason had called and run after her, trying to stop her.

She had turned on him, angry and heartbroken. "No! She's _my_ sister!"

She regretted the words now as she left her friends and ran to Jason, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're okay. I'm so sorry."

"Whoa." Jason said as he gave his mother a confused look. "Slow down. Of course I'm okay. We had a little car trouble."

The words that had been meant to calm her only made her cry harder. A seemed to enjoy playing with cars, and she was certain that whatever trouble they had had was because of A. She clung to him and Mrs. DiLaurentis and Toby had to pry her loose because they were standing in the middle of the street and cars were trying to get through.

"What are you sorry about?" Jason asked once they were on the sidewalk.

"What I said the other night at the playground." She said quietly. "That she was my sister. I shouldn't have said that. She was your sister too."

He wanted to tell her that it didn't matter. She had had more of a relationship with Melissa, even if it wasn't all sunshine and roses, but he didn't think she wanted to hear that right now. So he simply accepted the apology and followed the others inside.

After the funeral Spencer asked the girls to spend the night at her house. Of course they all agreed without hesitation and the five of them spent the rest of the day in Spencer's bedroom. Veronica tried to get them to come down to eat, but eventually gave up and brought the food up to them.

Before going to bed Spencer decided to share the decision she had made with her friends.

"I'm going to the police tomorrow." She said, keeping her gaze focused on her lap.

"Why?" Hanna asked.

Spencer looked, her face once more showing more determination that one person should be allowed. "To tell them that Eddie Lamb raped me. I'm done playing A's game. This is my _life_."


	9. Chapter 9

Spencer felt a huge wave of relief wash over her as she walked out of the police station with her friends. It was still early and it was chilly. She was glad it was the weekend because she felt like the real Spencer Hastings now. Not the one A had made her into. If it had been a school day they would have missed their first two classes and she would be stressing out about it.

Melissa's funeral had been yesterday and she was certainly still morning her sister, but she felt like she could breathe

This morning she had gone downstairs, taking the girls for moral support, and told her parents that she had lied to the police. At first they had been a little surprised, but had understood why she had lied when she had explained. Or at least they had thought they understood. She had told them that Eddie Lamb was the one that had raped her and that she had been scared to say anything.

Before they had gone down to talk to Spencer's parents, the girls had discussed something that could potentially get them in a lot of trouble. Or danger. Spencer wanted to be completely honest about the whole situation, which meant she couldn't omit the fact that A was involved in both her rape and Melissa's death. Her friends had been dead set against her plan at first, but had finally agreed to go through with it.

After Spencer's parents had been filled in on part of the story she told them that there was more to the story, but they wanted to tell everyone together so they didn't have to repeat it over and over again. Soon the Hastings' living room was crowded with all of the people that were important to them. All of their parents and Aria's brother Mike, Jason and Mrs. D, Toby, Caleb, Paige, and Jake. Even Ezra. Spencer had told Aria that she didn't have to call him, but she had insisted that he deserved to be there since he knew that A was still messing with them. The only person missing was Emily's dad.

Once everyone was settled and the girls had their undivided attention they told them everything that had happened since Mona had been sent to Radley. They spilled everything they knew about the night Ali's body had gone missing, the new A, Red Coat, the fire at the lodge, and Wilden's death. They didn't leave a single detail out. When they were finished their audience sat in stunned silence for a long moment.

"You girls need to tell the police all of this." Pam Fields said, looking like she might start crying.

"We will." Spencer replied. "But we wanted to tell all of you first."

"We wanted you to hear it from us." Aria added. "Not from the news."

"I think this is a bad idea." Caleb said. "A isn't going to like you outing her."

"A can deal with it." Hanna said. There was a sense of determination and finality to her statement.

Their families and friends had waited at the Hastings house while the girls had gone to the police station. They had found Detectives Tanner and Holbrook and proceeded to repeat the whole story, once again making sure not to leave out a single detail. They answered the detectives' questions and told them that they suspected that Cece was involved and that Alison was still alive and mixed up in it all somehow.

"We'll do our best to find whoever is doing this to you girls." Detective Tanner promised. "And if nothing else, I promise you we will arrest Eddie Lamb."

Detective Holbrook asked Mona if Lamb had done, or attempted to do, anything to her while she had been a patient at Radley. The question took them all by surprise. None of them, not even Mona, had even thought about this.

She shook her head. "No. He seemed to like me more than the other patients, but there was nothing I felt I needed to be worried about. Not that I know of anyway. I suppose he might have tried something when I was heavily medicated. I thought Cece was Ali, so I was a little out of it at one point in time."

They hadn't told anyone that Mona's crazy act had been just that. An act to keep her out of jail. It wasn't exactly relevant anymore and, although they didn't all trust her completely, none of the girls wanted her to go to prison. They understood why she had tormented them. It wasn't all their fault, but they still felt party responsible.

When they walked out of the station not everyone felt as relieved as Spencer. Mona was wondering if she had been molested, or worse, by Eddie Lamb. The others were nervous, wondering what might happen next. None of them felt like attending anymore funerals. Ever.

They weren't even halfway down the steps when all five phones suddenly rang. They knew who it was before they read the message.

_Game over, bitches. Kisses, A_

"So…we won?" Hanna asked. "Did we beat A?"

"Or did she just declare World War A?" Spencer replied.

"There's no way it could be that easy." Aria agreed. "It's A."

They all knew she was right. They had taken the matter into their own hands and now they would have to wait for A to make her next move.

**I'm obviously not following the storyline of the show, but I really like the whole World War A idea and I wanted to tie that in. So I borrowed Spencer's line from the summer finale. I have no idea where A's game is going, but I don't think it will hold me up too much. I know where I want this story to end and I really hope you guys like it when we get there.**


	10. Chapter 10

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked, thinking that the words sounded a little odd coming out of her mouth after everything that had happened to her. The question should be directed to her, not coming from her. But Jason looked very uneasy sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"I'm just not sure I should be here." He said as she walked over from the kitchen with a tray that contained coffee and homemade chocolate cake. "I don't think your parents really want me here."

Spencer set the tray on the coffee table and sat next to him, placing her hand gently on his arm. "Jason, I know things are…weird between our families, but you're my brother. I invited you over. If my parents have a problem with you being here, they can take it out on me."

"You don't need anything taken out on you, Spence." He said softly. "Not after…everything."

"No," she agreed, "But I think I can handle it after everything."

Jason smiled because she was smiling and relaxed a little. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and sank her fork into the cake, breaking off a small bite. "They arrested Eddie and no one has heard anything from A since yesterday. I'm not stupid enough to think it's all over, but it's nice to have a little break."

"Do you really think Alison's still alive?"

"Yes." Spencer replied firmly. "We can't prove it, but we've all seen her too many times for it to be hallucinations."

"It could've been." He said, sounding doubtful.

He was right, of course. Every single time any of them had seen Ali they had been drugged, medicated, or probably suffering from smoke inhalation. Emily had probably been close to dying from breathing in exhaust fumes when A had locked her in that barn.

Spencer picked up on the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes. "You don't think it was, do you?"

"Why should I?"

"Because we buried her." Spencer said. "Twice."

"But no one ever went down to identify the body." He said. "It had been too long by the time they found her. They found that yellow shirt and the DNA matched. It made sense."

"So why do you believe us?"

"Because I have no reason not to."

There were several reasons not to believe them. The physical evidence, according to the police, pointed to Ali being dead and they couldn't prove she wasn't. All of this had started with lies and secrets, and A had done everything conceivable to discredit them. Spencer and Mona had both spent time in Radley. Mona had been A.

"You don't really have a reason _to_ believe us either." She pointed out.

Jason looked at her. "You're my sister."

Spencer smiled. If that was all the reason he needed…

She didn't get to finish her thought because the door opened and her mother stomped inside, slamming the door behind her and ruining the sweet bonding moment. Spencer and Jason both turned to look at her and when Spencer saw the outraged, angry look on her face she jumped up from the couch.

"Mom?"

Veronica looked surprised to see her for a moment. "Spencer. You're home."

"Where else would I be?"

Veronica didn't answer. Her eyes landed on Jason. "Hello Jason."

"Hi." He said, feeling that he should get up. As he stood beside Spencer part of him wanted to excuse himself and leave because Veronica Hastings made him feel uncomfortable, but a stronger part of him sensed that something was wrong and Spencer didn't want him to leave. So he stayed put.

"Mom, what's going on?" Spencer asked, practically pleading.

Veronica started to tell her that nothing was wrong, but the looks on their faces stopped her. Spencer's eyes were huge and both of them looked worried and curious. She sighed and walked into the living room. "You're not going to like this."

"Tell me." Spencer demanded quietly.

"Eddie Lamb _requested_ me as his lawyer." Veronica admitted.

Spencer's mouth fell open and she was certain her eyes were about to pop out of her head. "Are you kidding me? What made him think you'd even consider representing him? You're my _mother_! You told him no, right?"

"Of course I told him no." Veronica said. "I told him I hope he rots in hell. Why in the world would you ask that?"

Spencer stood up straighter, knowing that her mother hadn't meant to sound so mean, but feeling a little stung anyway. "Because you accepted Garrett's request."

Veronica sighed again and her anger was replaced with sadness. "I know, but that was different. I explained all of that to you."

"You wanted to protect Melissa."

"Yes, and now I want to protect you." Veronica said. "Defending the man that hurt you would make me the world's worst mother. I could never do that to you, Spencer. No matter what."

Spencer smiled. Even with the knowledge that her assailant thought he could get her mother to defend him, she felt safe and happy right now. Her mother wanted to protect her and her brother believed her simply because she was his sister. Maybe things were starting to look up. It had been an A free day after all.

**A short, unexciting chapter, but I thought we could use a good Hastings family moment and some sibling bonding time. Not to mention a tiny break from the drama that is Rosewood.**


	11. Chapter 11

Spencer woke up to the sound of her phone ringing like crazy, a barrage of text messages coming in all at once. Before she could even reach for her phone her bedroom door opened and her father came in with an odd look on his face. She was instantly worried that something was wrong and sat up.

"Dad?" she inquired quietly. "Wh…is…is something wrong?"

Peter Hastings sat down on the edge of her bed and swallowed as if he wasn't sure how to say whatever it was he had to say. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, Spence."

"Just tell me."

"It's about Eddie Lamb."

She felt the blood rush out of her head and wasn't entirely sure she wasn't about to faint. "They didn't release him, did they? They can't. He did it."

She was trembling and Peter reached out and patted her leg. "No. They didn't release him. He confessed."

"So he doesn't get a trial?" Spencer was stunned and disappointed. "That's not fair!"

"He will go on trial. He confessed to more than the rape."

Spencer couldn't help but notice the hesitation when he said _rape_ and she knew it was because he was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it had happened.

"What else did he confess to?" she asked.

"A lot." Peter said. "He killed Detective Wilden…and Melissa."

Spencer shook her head. "No. A killed Melissa."

"He was A, Spence. He confessed to that too."

"No. Cece is A." She argued. "How could he be A? How could he know all that stuff?"

"Apparently he managed to get it out of Mona when she was heavily medicated." Peter explained. "They're arguing a mental defect..."

"_WHAT?_" Spencer screamed. "A mental defect? That's impossible! He worked at Radley. He was perfectly sane."

"You thought Mona was perfectly sane too."

"She…" Spencer stopped, thinking that if she told her father that Mona wasn't insane he might turn her into the police. She couldn't do that. "How…"

"They're saying he developed an obsession with you because of the news coverage of Ali's disappearance and everything else."

Her father explained everything to her and she listened in stunned silence. She couldn't believe what he was saying. There was no way Eddie had any kind of mental problems. This had to be some kind of lie. And he certainly couldn't have been A. When her father left she checked the text messages. They were from Aria, Hanna, Emily, Mona, Toby, and Jason. One each, all asking if she had heard the news yet.

She asked all of her friends to come over. She needed to talk to them. She didn't know how much had been on the news, but she was certain her father had told her more. Her friends must be reeling as badly as she was right now, and they didn't even know everything.

When they arrived she told them everything she knew. It wasn't easy to repeat, but she had to.

"Apparently he convinced himself that we were in some kind of relationship and he was protecting me." She said. "He knew Wilden was more than likely a threat to me, and thought Melissa was."

"He may be a rapist and murder and crazy," Mona said. "But he is _not_ A. There's no way. I don't think I was _that_ out of it. I may have told Cece some things, but not Eddie. I'm sure of it."

"So…what do we do now?" Hanna asked.

They all looked at each other. No one had an answer. They half expected their phones to start ringing with a message from A. This had to be her work somehow. Eddie Lamb was guilty, but of what? How much of it was really on him, and how much was A? They all knew how good A was at twisting the truth to make things work out how she wanted them to. But no one's phone rang. The living room was eerily silent as they waited.

Finally Spencer took a breath and spoke. "I guess we wait."

**And that's it for Spencer. I'm planning on taking another stab at Emily next, but I'm not sure when. It may be a while, but thank you so much for reading and enjoying Spencer's story! **


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